


Lifestyles of the Broke and Infamous

by pennysparrow



Category: DCU (Comics), The Flash (Comics)
Genre: Canon Disabled Character, Friendship, Gen, Mild Language, Rats, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-31
Updated: 2020-03-31
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:20:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,441
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23403631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pennysparrow/pseuds/pennysparrow
Summary: A couple different scenes from Piper's life and friendship with Wally and Linda over the years.
Relationships: Hartley Rathaway & Wally West, Linda Park & Hartley Rathaway, Linda Park & Hartley Rathaway & Wally West
Comments: 4
Kudos: 38





	Lifestyles of the Broke and Infamous

**Author's Note:**

> I have been on a Pied Piper KICK lately and listening to too much punk rock and I don't know I just have a lot of feelings and this is what happened? Scenes aren't in any sort of chronological order.

Piper knew the definition of loud, and not just from a sheet music definition or even a scientific one. Getting out of his car, he already knew that whatever it was that was happening in Wally and Linda’s house right now it was _loud_.

He cringed as he rummaged for the key they’d given him, figuring they’d never be able to hear the doorbell over the racket. He’d been right. It was impossibly louder inside the house.

The first thing he noticed after the noise was Wally. He was jumping around the living room like a maniac, occasionally flailing his arms around. The next was Linda. She was sitting on the steps and raising an eyebrow at the open door. When she saw it was Piper she frowned and raised a single finger to motion him over. He felt oddly like he was being called to the principal’s office.

The sound was finally resolving itself into a song and he couldn’t help but smirk a bit at it as he closed the door. When he settled next to Linda she went to open her mouth but then thought better of it and began motioning with her hands.

“This is your fault,” she signed. It was a bit overly careful and a tad slow but she was still learning, Hartley appreciated the effort.

“What is?” he signed back.

Linda rolled her eyes and just responded with a flat look. Ok, she was right he knew that she meant the music and what Wally must be considering dancing. He still hadn’t even noticed Piper was here. Some superhero he was.

“Ok, _that_ ,” he indicated to Wally, “is not my fault.”

“The rest is,” Linda signed carefully, a smile pulling at the corner of her mouth.

“You set up one guys stereo…” Hartley smirked and Linda snorted. “I’m not responsible for the volume. Or the song choice. Even if I approve of the latter if not the former.”

“You still have the number of the guy who did your implants? I might need it after this,” Linda teased and Hartley couldn’t help but laugh.

“Seriously though, who introduced Wally to punk?” Piper signed.

Linda sighed. “I have my suspicions. You get two guesses as to my top suspects.”

Hartley closed his eyes and sighed. Wally had only two other friends whose teen angst so acutely fit the archetype. “Dick or Roy?”

Linda nodded before leaning back to half lay on the stairs and groan. Hartley laughed again.

He tapped her arm to get her attention. “I think I can narrow it down some more,” he signed. Linda raised a curious eyebrow. “Only one of them has awful enough taste to listen to Mucous Membrane. Roy.”

Linda shook her head as she signed back, “He’s dead meat.”

***

“Are you in here?!” Wally called. Piper had to admit that the warning was nice compared to his normal sudden appearance over his left shoulder.

“Up here!” he started to call back, but Wally was already there.

“New gadget?” Wally leaned in to take a look the circuits Piper was soldering.

Setting the soldering iron down and pushing the magnifying glass back, Hartley sighed. “Maybe.”

“Maybe?”

“If it works.”

“Ah.” Wally nodded and took a couple steps back from the worktable, letting Hartley stretch as he turned to get out of his chair. “So… what’s it do?”

Piper just smirked. “Wouldn’t you like to know.”

He walked into the hall and heard Wally follow behind him. “Uh, I would actually?”

***

“You seem…” Wally trailed off and Hartley had to physically restrain himself from glaring at his stupid narrowed eyes and slight pout. “Tense,” Wally finished.

“No shit Sherlock.” Hartley’s tone had been a little too mean to be considered dry, but he didn’t mean it. He knew Wally knew that.

“Well there’s a reason they don’t call me the world’s greatest detective. Or even second or third.”

Hartley rolled his eyes. Wally was being self-deprecating and it was sweet of him to try to cheer him up. He should go easy on him. He knew he should. But that doesn’t mean that’s what would happen.

So, he went back to picking at his piece of pie and silently prayed that the Rogues were robbing a bank somewhere so Wally could just leave him to be in a bad mood by himself.

“Piper?” Wally asked softly. “We both know I’m not patient,” that earned a snort, “and I really would like to just allow you the time to open up on your own but I’m worried about you so I’d really appreciate it if you tell me what’s bothering you?”

Fuck. He was being sincere. Hartley loved his best friend; he was a good guy. Which is why you could never be in a bad mood around him. Heck, even when he was still a supervillain Hartley couldn’t take it out on Wally. The Flash? Well yeah, duh. But Kid Flash? Despite being an annoying little shit, the answer was no.

He set his fork down and took a deep breath before looking up from his pie. “My parents are having some big party for their company and they made it known that my presence was expected. Whether I liked it or not, and it seems whether they like it or not, I’m supposed to be there.”

Wally blinked and that’s how Piper knew that he was shocked. Piper had been able to _see_ Wally blink.

“Well shit.”

“Yeah,” Hartley sighed and went back to his pie.

“You going to go?”

“Kinda have to.”

“You could cause a ruckus?”

Ok, that was funny, Wally earned the laugh that got out of Piper. “I thought you were supposed to be a good guy? ‘Cause a ruckus.’ That’s something James would say, not you.”

Wally raised an eyebrow. “You’re not saying no…”

Hartley blinked. “I’m thinking about it,” he admitted stiffly.

That got a grin.

“I’ve thought about it.”

If Wally’s smile got any bigger people would start thinking that he’d been hit with Joker Venom.

“I’m going to cause a ruckus.”

The superspeed fist pumps were a bit excessive, which is why Piper was going to have Linda help him plan his “ruckus.”

***

Piper scooped up his rat and brought Impulse to eye level. (The name had been Wally’s doing.) “The world is screwed,” he told Impulse flatly. The rat didn’t respond.

“Tell me about it,” Linda muttered, flopping down on the couch with a tub of ice cream.

Hartley snorted.

“No really,” Linda said around a mouthful of Moose Tracks, her spoon waving in the air, “tell me. I’m tired but I could use some righteous fury in my life right now.”

That earned her another snort. “Fury was the other guy, I’m Piper, remember?”

“Hardy har har,” Linda said dryly.

He couldn’t help but smirk at her. He’d cuddled Impulse into his chest and the rat was snuggling in contentedly. Linda just raised her eyebrows and motioned again with her spoon, a weird combination of the gestures “the floor is yours” and “well get going.”

“If we’re doing this, you’re holding him,” Piper passed the rat over to Linda and smiled as Impulse curled up happily on her lap.

“Ok,” Piper said as he began pacing. “Amazon? Amazon. It fucking _sucks_!” and then he was on a roll. His hands were waving and he was yelling about billionaires, corporate greed, and neoliberalism. Linda hummed at all the right points and asked the right questions.

He finished with a pointed “And fuck the gig economy.”

“Well I’m suitably fired up,” Linda said, passing Impulse back to him and going to return her ice cream to the freezer. “I kinda want to go egg some rich guy’s house now!” she called from the kitchen.

Piper frowned. “My parents? They deserve it. But they’d also call the cops.”

“Bruce Wayne?” Linda suggested, coming back with a carton of eggs.

“No,” Piper shook his head, “guy donates like all his profits. He might be a rich bitch but he’s not a dick.”

Linda giggled and her eyes lit up. “Oliver Queen?”

“He was unironically called a ‘hippie socialist’ by Fox News, and for once they were right,” Piper said wryly.

“But he _is_ a dick,” Linda shrugged. “Well, can be.”

“Wally can also be a dick,” Piper felt the need to point out.

That made Linda look downright mischievous. “You do know that he _was_ a millionaire at one point. Twice.”

Piper laughed.

“And!” Linda held the egg carton out. “He can clean up at superspeed.”

Which is how Hartley found himself egging his own house. Well, technically is _was_ Wally’s house.


End file.
